Coin control device



April 16, 1940. c. R. SPARE ET AL COIN CONTROL DEVICE Original Filed May 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 72 w h %\\T n 4N w M e P H m W p 06H m g N W%%w fix @w .m RI Y @W Q1 $N w I NU o v \hw ix 1:: m A Ml m *W Nu. m

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COIN CONTROL DEVICE Original Filed May 25, 1937 Z-SheIa-tS-Sheet 2 W q may,

//VV'/Y rafi's a I 7/1721 ES KS/W/PE, 62 /742 [ail/72% ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COIN CONTROL DEVICE Charles R. Spare and Charles H. Lapsley,

Philadelphia, Pa.

Original application May 25, 1937, Serial No.

144,654. Divided and this application Novemher 2, 1937, Serial No. 172,350

1 Claim.

one which, while designed for particular cooperation with the vending machine disclosed in our co-pending application, is nevertheless also adapted for use in connection with other vending or dispensing devices.

Our invention still further relates to a coin control involving various simple and mechanical operations without the use of any springs or other parts that may get out of order and need servicing or repairs.

The details of construction and manner of operation of our novel coin control device will be 20, more clearly understood from the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents a fragmentary top plan view of a coin control device embodying our inven- 25 tion shown applied to a portion of the casing of the vending machine in connection with which it is to be used.

Fig. 2 represents on a greatly enlarged scale a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

30 Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a section on line 4--4 of Fig. 2. Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts, 6 designates thepermanent top wall of the casing or cabinet 35 of a vending machine to which is suitably hinged at I the main cover 8, said cover 8 being preferably fastened by the lock H] so that, when the lock it! is opened, the entire cover 8 can be swung open along the hinge l to afford complete access.

40 to the interior of the cabinet. To the main cover 8 is hinged at l2 the small, delivery door [4 which is to be opened when the coin control mechanism is operated to permit withdrawal of the merchandise being dispensed. The door i4 45 is preferably provided with the transparent portion I6.

The main cover 8 extends 'over a substantial part of the top wall 6 to cover a corresponding opening made therein so that, when the cover 8 50 is removed by opening the lock Hi, the contents of the cabinet can be replenished. The cover 8 overlaps the rear portion of the top wall as best seen in Fig. 1 and is provided with a humped portion 8a: which houses the coin control 65 mechanism. The door M, as will be seen from Fig. 1, is cut out of the body of the main cover 8 so that the small door M can be opened by operation of the coin control mechanism to permit removal of a bottle or the like from the cabinet after the proper coin has beendeposited. The 5 transparent portion it serves to enable the purchaser to see what kind of drink or confection is in registration with the door before depositing the coin so that the purchaser may manipulate'the parts to bring into registration the par- 1 ticular type of confectionery desired.

The coin I8 is dropped through the slot 20 into a coin compartment 22, carried by the rocker arm 34. The coin compartment 22 is provided with the upper and lower openings 23 and 25 respectively of a predetermined size. If the coin is too small it will drop clear through the compartment 22, and if it is too big it cannot enter the compartment 22, and in either event it falls out onto the inclined chute or guideway 24 to be discharged through the coin return 26. A coin of the proper size is retained in the compartment 22 so that, when the lever 28 which is pivoted at 281: to the wall 313x is moved in the direction of the arrow 38, the lug 32 carried by the lever 25 28 engages the edge of the coin l8 and interlocks the operating lever 28 with the rocker arm 3 which is also pivoted at 34x between the walls 300: and 3M: it being understood that in the absence of a coin E8 in the compartment 22, the 30 lever 28' can be reciprocated without engaging with or in any way actuating the rocker arm 34, the size of the lug 32 being such as to clear the rocker arm 34 in the absence of a coin the edge of which protects beyond the width of the com- 35 partment 22. The lug 32 moves in the slot 32a: formed in the partition 30m. The movement of the lever 28 from the position indicated at A to the position indicated in'dotted lines at B moves the rocker arm 34 from its original position at C to that indicated in dotted lines at D. This moves the pin 36 at the lower end 38 of the rocker arm 34 through the horizontal slot 40 and up the inclined slot 42. As the pin 36 travels in the inclined slot 42 it pushes the operating link 44 45 in the direction of the arrow 43. The operating link 44 is slidably connected by the pin 36 to the lower end of the arm 38 and the other end of the link is suitably pivoted in the position shown in Fig. 1 to any suitable support within the cabinet or to a portion of the top or side wall thereof (in a manner not shown) so as to have the shoulder 46 thereof engaging the rear edge of the door l4, whereby the movement of the pin 36 in the slot 42 will bring the shoulder 46 of the link 44 automatically opened 'by the movement of the lever 28 and rocker arm M to the second fully opened position shown at H. When the door M reaches the fully opened position at H, it exerts a pull on the rocker arm 34 in the direction of the arrow 50 thus causing the rocker arm 34 to clear the lever 28 when the latter isat the extreme limit of its motion in the position B. This releases the coin l8 interlocked between the lever 28 and the rocker arm 34 and permits it to drop into a coin box 52. It will be noted that the coin compartment 22 is flanked by the partitions 31.1: and 3th: from which are inwardly turned flanges 55 and 56 respectively on which the coin l 8 rides during its travel from the point at which it is, originally dropped until it reaches the coin box 52. It will also be seen that the lever 28 travels in the slot 29 in the cover 8 the length of which limits the movement of said lever, and that the upper end of the wall 225s of the coin compartment 22 is extended upwardly and deflected at 35 so that, when the rocker arm 35. is in the operative position shown in dotted lines at D, the dc fieo'ted portion will also assume the position shown in dotted lines in which it obstructs the opening 2K? to prevent the deposit of another coin until the rocker arm 33 i is returned to the position and the lever 28 is returned to the position shown at A.

It will thus be seen that we have devised a very simple and efficient form of coin control which only has the operating lever 28, the rocker arm 34 and the complementary slotted rocker arm M, whereby the door M can be opened, and whereby as soon as the door I4 is released after the merchandise has beenremoved it will drop by its own weight from the position at H into the closing position at E v'zher'eupon the pin 36 moves down the inclined slot M'and into the horizontal slot as. This returns the rocker arm at from the position at D to the position at C thus permitting the deposit of another coin through the slot 20. The operating lever 28 can be returned to the position A manually or a suitable spring can be employed for that purpose.

Having thusdesoribed our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a coin control mechanism, a casing, an operating lever pivoted at its lower end to said casing and having its upper end movable in a slot in the top of said casing, a lug carried by said operating lever, a rocker arm pivoted at its upper end to said casing, a coin compartment carried by said rocker arm in spaced relation from said lug so that the latter clears said compartment in the absence of a coin therein, a link having a horizontal slot and an inclined slot formed therein and a pin carried by the lower end of said rocker arm and normally resting in said horizontal slot, said pin being adapted to ride in said inclined slot when said rocker arm is operated by said-operating lever to actuate said link in accordance with the movement'of said rocker arm.

CHARLES R. semen. CHARLES H. LAPSLEY. 

